CPSMBD Chapter 03

CHAPTER 3

The Blind Date

I dashed madly to the Beaufort Restaurant, our arranged meeting place.

Before entering, I took a moment to catch my breath and hastily smoothed my disheveled hair.

Though I wished for more time to compose myself, the precious minutes allotted to me were frustratingly brief.

Having already wasted fifteen minutes just getting from the Imperial Palace to the restaurant, I couldn't afford any further delays.

The thought of canceling and rescheduling the matchmaking meeting had crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.

'If I don't do this now, who knows when I'll get another chance?'

The Emperor's 20th anniversary celebration loomed on the horizon.

Once the ceremonial preparations began, my schedule would become impossibly hectic again.

This small window of relative calm was my only opportunity for a matchmaking meeting.

Moreover, knowing that the Crown Prince was actively trying to interfere with my romantic prospects only strengthened my resolve to see this meeting through.

Upon entering the Beaufort Restaurant and announcing the name of my match, " Failum Dale," the waiter guided me to the table. My prospective partner had already arrived.

As I approached, he rose swiftly from his seat.

The restaurant's chandelier cast its light upon him, shattering into golden fragments across his hair.

While the Great Empire had no shortage of blond-haired citizens, something about his golden locks seemed extraordinarily special.

They sparkled with such brilliance that it almost hurt to look at them, as if tiny fragments of gold dust were dancing above his head.

What I hadn't noticed from afar became strikingly apparent up close – his impressive height.

Failum Dale my matchmaking partner, was a tall and strikingly handsome man.

'Brahe, thank you. If this works out, I'll spend my lifetime repaying this debt.'

I silently vowed to consider Brahe my lifelong benefactor.

Suppressing my racing heart, I managed a casual greeting.

"I'm so sorry. Am I terribly late?"

"Not at all. You sent word ahead about the delay, so it's perfectly fine."

He extended his hand with a gentle smile.

When I placed my hand in his, he carefully drew it closer and brushed his lips against my knuckles in a courteous kiss. I felt my face flush crimson.

Standing upright again, Lord Dale properly introduced himself.

"Though you likely already know, allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Failum Dale."

"Violetta Estrisen," I replied.

Lord Dale dismissed the waiter and personally pulled out my chair. He timed it perfectly, pushing it in as I sat down, before returning to his own seat.

'His handsome, but his manners are perfect!'

He was worlds apart from a certain someone who was probably still working at the palace, completely unaware of my absence.

"Since you mentioned needing to return to the palace by seven, I took the liberty of ordering in advance. I worried you might not have proper time to eat otherwise, given the tight schedule."

"Thank you. You're every bit as thoughtful as Brahe described."

"Ha ha. I'm rather frightened to hear what else Brahe might have said about me."

"Nothing bad at all. In fact, they said you're known as a saint for your wonderful personality."

Perhaps pleased by my compliment, a refreshingly pleasant laugh escaped his lips.

"I do hear that from time to time."

Lord Dale's laughter subsided as he fixed his gaze intently upon me. Confused by his sudden intensity, I returned his look with questioning eyes.

Ahem, ahem.

After clearing his throat, he finally spoke.

"Oh! Miss Violetta, you are truly perfect. They say there will be a full moon tonight. Your noble grace reminds me of that full moon illuminating the dark night sky. Your beauty is as subtle as moonlight – I fear I might go blind from its radiance."

Huh? W-what did he just say?

My hands went limp at his sudden poetic declaration. For a moment, I questioned whether my ears had deceived me.

But no – I, who could catch even the faintest whisper of criticism about the Crown Prince, couldn't have misheard something spoken right in front of me.

What should I do? How should I respond? Words failed me completely.

Managing my expression proved equally challenging.

"Ah... yes..."

An awkward smile was the best I could muster.

Fortunately, the waiter arrived with our food just then.

"Here we have butter-basted flounder with the bones removed, served with asparagus."

Oh dear. I hadn't expected fish. Sadly, I wasn't particularly fond of seafood due to its fishiness.

Perhaps sensing my discomfort, Lord Dale addressed the waiter.

"Please place the fish dish here, in front of me."

The waiter set the fish before Lord Dale and withdrew.

"I wasn't sure of your preferences, so I ordered both fish and meat. Please don't worry."

True to his word, another waiter approached with a meat dish and placed it before me.

"Veal steak with wine simmered sauce, accompanied by roasted potatoes. Please enjoy your meal."

What a relief that he had thought to order meat as well.

"I'm sorry. I'm not very good with fish. Are you sure you don't mind having the fish dish?"

Lord Dale smiled easily at my concerned query.

"Not at all. I enjoy both fish and meat equally."

He truly was as kind as Brahe had said.

'Yes! This is my chance!'

I couldn't let this opportunity slip away. An idea suddenly struck me – the perfect response to his earlier serenade.

'Ah, finally! I can return Lord Dale's beautiful compliment.'

I had been so worried about not being able to properly respond to his poetic words. But now, the stiff, speechless version of myself from moments ago was gone.

Words of praise for Lord Dale flowed from my lips as if I were reading from a script.

"Lord Dale, your thoughtfulness is truly remarkable. I wonder if you might be an angel who lost your wings and fell from heaven to earth. Your friends in heaven must be crying, waiting for your return."

Lord Dale stared at me, momentarily dazed.

'Why is he looking at me like that? Was that too much?'

I might have gotten carried away and failed to maintain appropriate boundaries.

I should have kept quiet.

After a brief stupor, Lord Dale's face took on a determined expression, as if he'd reached some sort of decision.

"To compare my thoughtfulness to a fallen angel! I'm in awe of your expressiveness, Lady Violetta. I must step up my game."

I fought to suppress a grin at his praise, managing only a small nod.

Though we'd just met, I felt Lord Dale and I could make a perfect match. He was handsome, kind, sensible, and possessed a gift for beautiful words.

'He's exactly who I've been looking for.'

Which meant that the end of my overtime work might not be far off.

As our meal progressed, Lord Dale dropped an unexpected revelation – he had known about me long before this matchmaking meeting, a fact I found hard to believe.

"You already knew about me?"

"Of course. The Crown Prince's Chief Aide is quite famous in the Imperial Palace."

Lord Dale said this with his trademark saintly smile.

Me, famous in the palace? This was news to me.

'Surely not... from that time?'

No, impossible. That was six years ago.

It was an incident from my first day at work. Even now, the memory would make me kick off my blankets in my sleep.

'If a potion to forget exist, I'd do whatever it took to get my hands on it. Then I'd drink it and erase that day's memory forever.'

That mortifying and shocking past made even being kicked in front of the Crown Prince during my inauguration ceremony seem trivial in comparison.

That day, while attending the Crown Prince, I had rolled head over heels through a doorway in front of hundreds of people.

Even at the time, few people knew I was the subject of those rumors, but still...

'It can't be that. There's no way anyone would still remember that incident.'

Suppressing my anxiety, I carefully asked Lord Dale:

"Um... May I ask in what way I'm famous?"